UW-EAU CLAIRE. >> EARLIER THIS WEEK, DONALD
TRUMP SPENT HIS DAY OFF FROM HIS CRIMINAL TRIAL IN NEW YORK TO
VISIT WISCONSIN FOR A RALLY IN WAUKESHA.
REPEATED HIS LIE THAT THE 2020 ELECTION WAS STOLEN.
>> THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS RIGGED THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
IN 2020 AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO RIG THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN 2024. [CHEERS]
>> WE WON'T HAVE A COUNTRY LEFT. >> AGAIN, THE 2020 ELECTION WAS
NOT STOLEN, BUT WE SHOW YOU THAT CLIP BECAUSE THE BIG LIE RELATES
TO A RULE CHANGE CURRENTLY BEING PROPOSED BY THE WISCONSIN
ELECTIONS COMMISSION. THE RULE WOULD DETERMINE HOW
CLOSE ELECTION OBSERVERS CAN GET TO VOTERS WHEN THEY CAST A
BALLOT AT THE POLLS AND REPUBLICANS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED
THEY PLAN TO RECRUIT $100,000 ELECTION OBSERVERS NATIONWIDE IN
AN EFFORT TO, QUOTE, MAKE SURE THAT VICTORY CAN'T BE RIGGED.
JOINING US NOW IS EILEEN NEWCOMER, VOTER EDUCATION
MANAGER AT THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> LET'S START WITH WHAT AN
ELECTION OBSERVER IS AND WHY WOULD THE REPUBLICANS WANT TO
RECRUIT ANOTHER HUNDRED THOUSAND OF THEM FOR 2024?
>> ONE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW, HERE IN WISCONSIN,
ELECTION OBSERVERS HAVE MORE ACCESS THAN THEY HAVE IN OTHER
STATES, BUT WITH THAT ACCESS COMES ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF ELECTION OBSERVERS.
ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN SEEING HOW ELECTIONS ARE RUN,
THEY CAN GO INTO THE POLLING PLACE AND OBSERVE WHAT'S
HAPPENING, THEY CAN OBSERVE DURING EARLY VOTING, THEY CAN
OBSERVE THE PREELECTION EQUIPMENT, AUDITS.
IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT HOW OUR ELECTION SYSTEM WORKS TO GO AND BE AN OBSERVER
SO THAT THEY CAN SEE FOR THEMSELVES HOW IT WORKS.
>> SO I'VE OBVIOUSLY COVERED THE POLLS AT PRIOR ELECTIONS.
ELECTION OBSERVERS ARE NOT NEW. MOST OF THE TIME, THEY JUST KIND
SIT IN A CHAIR IN THE CORNER AND DO DO MUCH.
MANY I'VE SPOKEN TO SAY THEY'RE QUITE BORED.
WHAT KIND OF FRAUD OR RIGGINGS ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING
FOR? >> I KNOW WE TRAIN OUR ELECTION
OBSERVERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NORMAL PROCESS LOOKS LIKE SO
THAT THEY CAN IDENTIFY IF THERE'S A DEVIATION OF THE
NORMAL PROCESS, AND IF IT -- IT CAN BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS
THE REGISTRAR NOT FULLY UNDERSTANDING ALL OF THE PROOF
OF RESIDENCE OPTIONS AND WRONGFULLY SENDING SOME AWAY
BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING THAT WASN'T ACCEPTABLE
RESIDENCE OPTION ISN'T, SO WE WOULD TALK TO THE CHIEF
INSPECTOR IN THAT CASE AND OFTEN IT'S SOLVED RIGHT THERE, SO IT'S
REALLY THE MINUTIA AND MECHANICS THAT OBSERVERS ARE THERE TO
WITNESS AND TO SEE, AND TO THE COMMENT ABOUT THEY'RE NOT REALLY
DOING THAT MUCH, THEY REALLY ARE THERE TO OBSERVE, TO WITNESS, TO
DOCUMENT, TO REPORT THINGS THAT THEY SEE, IF THEY WANT TO
ESCALATE IT, IF THEY'RE NOT CERTAIN ABOUT SOMETHING, AND
THAT REALLY HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN OUR
STATE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND THAT THE LEAGUE HAS BEEN RUNNING
OUR ELECTION OBSERVER PROGRAM FOR OVER 10 YEARS NOW.
>> SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE RULE CHANGE, BECAUSE PART OF THIS HAS
TO DO WITH HOW FAR AWAY AN ELECTION OBSERVER NEEDS TO BE
FROM THE VOTER OR FROM CERTAIN AREAS AND IT'S THIS RANGE OF
THREE TO EIGHT FEET. WHY THAT FORTUNATE AND WHAT
DIFFERENCE CAN -- WHY IS THAT FORTUNATE AND WHAT DIFFERENCE
CAN THAT MAKE? >> THE THREE TO EIGHT FOR THE
RULE IS ACTUALLY IN THE STATUTE SO THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S
GOING TO CHANGE WITH THIS PROPOSED RULE BECAUSE THAT'S IN
THE LAW AND THE THREKS COMMISSION CAN'T SUPERSEDE
SOMETHING THAT'S IN THE STATE LAW.
THREE TO EIGHT-FOOT TRAINING IS THERE TO GIVE POLL WORKERS SOME
FLEXIBILITY OF WHERE TO STATION ELECTION OBSERVERS, WHERE THEY
NOT INTERFERE WITH THE VOTING PROCESS, NOT INTERFERE WITH POLL
WORKERS WHO ARE TRYING TO CONDUCT THE ELECTIONS, NOT
INTERFERE WITH VOTERS WHO ARE THERE TO CAST YOUR BALLOT AND
EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE. AND I DO THINK THAT THREE TO
EIGHT FEET IS ENOUGH SPACE FOR YOU TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING,
WHAT'S GOING ONMENT I DO KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE WANT TO BE
CLOSER, BUT THREE FEET IS REALLY A SHORT DISTANCE EVEN OF ITSELF
AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE CURRENT GUIDELINE
THAT'S IN PLACE. >> NOW, THESE RULES APPLY TO ALL
SCENARIOS, NOT JUST THE VOTING BOOTH ON ELECTION DAY, AS YOU
MENTIONED. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF
CONTROVERSY, SPECIFICALLY THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE.
IF THERE'S A RECOUNT, ELECTION OBSERVERS CAN BE IN THOSE PLACES
AS WELL. WHAT KIND OF ROLLS TO THEY PLAY
THERE AS FAR AS WITNESS SIGNATURES AND ABSENTEE BALLOTS
AND WHAT KIND OF -- I DON'T WANT TO SAY CHAOS, BUT WHAT COULD
HAPPEN IF SOMEONE WHO IS UNTRAINED OR NEW PEOPLE COMING
IN TRYING TO CREATE THIS IMAGE OF FRAUD THAT MAY NOT BE REAL,
WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THEY'RE THERE.
>> SO IF SOMEBODY IS AT -- THE THINGS WE TRAIN OUR OBSERVERS TO
LOOK OUT FOR IS JUST MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY
PROCESSING THE BALLOTS, NOT COUNTING THEM BEFORE 8:00 P.M.
BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE RULES AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
THAT IS BEING CONDUCTED FAIRLY, AND ALSO KEEPING A CLOSE EYE OUT
FOR IF BALLOTS ARE BEING REJECTED, WHY ARE THEY BEING
REJECTED. THAT COULD BE BECAUSE THERE'S A
MISSING WITNESS ADDRESS ON THE ABSENTEE BALLOT CERTIFICATE,
MAYBE THE VOTER DIDN'T SIGN, THINGS LIKE THAT ARE THE KINDS
OF THINGS WE'RE LOOKING FOR THERE.
AND THE WAY THAT IT DOES RUN AND REALLY SHOULD RUN IS THAT
OBSERVERS, IF THEY HAVE AN ISSUE, THEY HAVE A POINT OF
CONTACT OF WHO THEY TALK TO TO FIGURE OUT MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT THAT ISSUE, WHETHER MAYBE IT'S THEIR MISUNDERSTANDING OF
HOW THINGS SHOULD BE OPERATING OR IF IT IS A LEGITIMATE
CONCERN, THEN THEY CAN BE ADDRESSED IN REAL TIME.
WITH THAT POINT OF CONTACT, IT ALSO MEANS THAT OBSERVERS SHOULD
NOT BE TALKING TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL POLL WORKER WHO IS AT
THE LOCATION AND DISRUPTING THEIR WORK AS WELL.
AND THEN ALSO THE CHIEF INSPECTOR, OR IN THE CASE OF
CENTRAL COUNT, USUALLY THE CLERK IS THE ONE RUNNING THEM.
THEY MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE LOCATION.
BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING INTERRUPTIVE, THAT PERSON IS
REQUIRED TO LEAVE. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF SAFEGUARDS
TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN WITNESS WHAT'S GOING ON AND TO
SEE HOW TRANSPARENT OUR PROCESS IS, BUT IF THEY'RE UNRULY OR
DISRUPTIVE, TO HAVE THOSE PEOPLE LEAVE SO THAT THE ELECTION CAN
GO ON. >> IS THERE A RULE FOR OBSERVERS
TO OBSERVE OAR OBSERVERS IN A SENSE IS THIS MAYBE PEOPLE WHO
ARE NEW AND DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY CAN OBJECT TO OR INTERFERE AND
INSERT THEMSELVES INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE VOTING PROCESS?
>> CERTAINLY. OUR OBSERVERS MONITOR EVERYTHING
THAT'S GOING ON INCLUDING IF THERE ARE OTHER OBSERVERS THERE
AND IF THEY'RE BEING DISRUPTIVE, AND IF THEY'RE BEING DISRUPTIVE
AND NOBODY IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT, THEY WILL ESCALATE
THAT TO THE CHIEF INSPECTOR AND SAY, HEY, YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR
MAINTAINING THIS POLLING PLACE, THIS PERSON IS BEING DISRUPTIVE,
MAYBE THEY'RE INTIMIDATING A VOTER OR PREVENTING A POLL
WORKER FROM DOING THEIR JOB AND THAT PERSON SHOULD LEAVE.
IF THE CHIEF INSPECTOR DOESN'T DO ANYTHING, WE DO HAVE ROUTES
TO ESCALATE THAT FURTHER AND MAKE SURE THAT THE CALMNESS OF
THE POLLING PLACE IS MAINTAINED. >> WE'VE GOT JUST A FEW SECONDS
LEFT. TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS TRUJILLO
AND WHETHER YOU -- RULE AND WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IT WILL BE
IN PLACE BECAUSE LEGISLATURE CAN WIPE OUT RULES AT A MOMENT'S
NOTICE, THERE'S ALL SORTS OF LAWSUITS OUT THERE.
>> WE SUPPORT THE RULE AS DRAFT. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK
THAT'S GONE INTO IT, A LOT OF VOICES HAVE BEEN LISTENED TO IN
DRAFTING THE RULE ITSELF. I AM ALWAYS HOPEFUL THAT IT WILL
BE IN PLACE BY THE FALL ELECTION, BUT REALISTICALLY, IT
PROBABLY WON'T BE IN PLACE UNTIL NEXT YEAR JUST BECAUSE THE
LEGISLATURE HAS ENDED THEIR SESSION.
RIGHT NOW. >> ALL RIGHT.